Harness



J. W. SPANGLER.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 30, 1886.

HARNESS.

1.7V VEJVTOR .dttrney,

WITJV'ESSES N PETERS. Photo-1m U TTEn STATES PATENT FFTQEQ JACOB \V. SPANGLER, OF YORK, PENXSYLVANIAl.

HARNESS.

'a'FEEfiIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No, 338,797, dated Iflarch 30 1886,

Application filed July 3, 1885.

a 7.1. .n A

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB W. SPANGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Harness, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, strong, and durable harness, whereby the animal maybe readily attached to and detached from the vehicle without leaving any parts-of the harness to be tied up or liable to drag.

Theinvention comprises a modification of the ordinary whiffletree in which arms extend well forward along the flanks of the animal, and short'traces which run from the breast-strap or hames back to the rings on the breeching, and are thereto connected by snap-hooks or other devices, the said traces connecting at intermediate points with buttons on the ends of the said arms, so that said traces and arms may be used for both pulling and backing the vehicle, as I will now proceed to more particularly set forth and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in the two figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of shafts with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a side view of the trace.

The shafts a may be of any approved construction, with the ordinary cross-bar, b, connecting them at their rear ends. I prefer to arrange the whiffletree on the under side of this crossbar, so as to get it clear of catching the hairs of the animals tail; but the ordinary arrangement may be employed. The whiffietree d is shown applied to the under side of the cross-bar b by a plate, f, and bolt h,- but my invention is not limited to such construction.

To the whiffletree, by bolts e or other devices, are attached armson, which extend well forward along the flanks of the animal (say from about two to two and a half feet) from the whiffletree, and are connected to the shafts, preferably, by leather guides 12, which Serial No. 170,606. (No model.)

latter are clamped to the shafts and readily detachable for renewal or repair. The ends of the arms at are provided with buttons 0. The arms m may be simply pieces of iron rod shaped to connect with the whifl'letree and headed. The arms in maybe applied to an ordinary metal or wooden whifl'letree. The traces p are of leather or other usual material, and extend from the breast band q or hames, to which they are adjustably secured, as usual, back to the rings 1' on the breeohing s, with which they are connected by snaphooks t or other readilyoperable devices. An eye or hole, a, is made in each trace at a point which will enable one to properly hitch the draft-animal to the vehicle by engagement of the eyes of said traces with the buttons 0 on the arms m.

After the harness is once upon the animal it may be hitched or unhitched by engaging the traces by their eyes with the buttons or the arms m, or by disengaging them respectively. The traces are held at both ends, and hence need no tying up, and there are no breeohing-straps to be operated.

The length of the harness is suited to the animal by adjustment of the traces at the breaststrap or hames, so that but one eye in each trace for engagement with the whiffletreearms is necessary.

It will be noticed that the vehicle may be both drawn forward and pushed backward by the traces acting through the arms and whifl'letree.

The traces may be integral with the breaststrap, and their adjustment to the length of the horse may be made at the breeohing end by strap-like extensions running through the breeohing rings and engaging buckles or snap-hooks or other fastenings at or near the points of attachment to the whiffletreearms.

V hat I claim is-- 1. In a harness, the traces reaching from the breast-strap or hames to the breeohing-rings and secured to each, and provided with eyes to engage arms extending forward from the whiffletree to hitch the animal to a vehicle, and adapted to be disengaged therefrom to a I 239L797 completely unhitch the animal, substantially as described. described.

2. The combination, with a harness having In testimony whereof I have hereunto set traces provided with eyes or openings u, and my hand this2d day of July, A. D. 1885. extending from the breast-strap or hames to J AGOB W. SPANGLER. the breeching-rings and secured thereto, of a Witnesses:

engage the eyes in the traces, substantially as whiffletree having arms extending forward JOHN H. PARKER, I along the shafts and provided with buttons to GEORGE B. KRABER. 

